Quinoa n' Black Beans

Another quick, yummy, healthy dinner.

If you've never had quinoa before, and are interested to try it, I think this is a great place to start. This is a flavorful dish, so you don't taste the quinoa flavor too strongly, but you still get to experience the texture and a little bit of the taste.

 I've been making this dish for a while now, but pineapple is a recent addition, and a good one at that. It would be even better if it was grilled pineapple, but it's really not worth the effort when the grill is about six floors below on the other side of the courtyard....But maybe when we have our own grill.

 Here are the fix-ins to make quinoa n' black beans

Quinoa N' Black Beans

This takes about 30 minutes, with only about 10 being hands on. 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well - Preferably soaked

2 tsp. butter or oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced - I've used garlic powder as well

1 Tbsp. cumin

dash of cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water

1 cup frozen corn

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed - I usually use dry beans, so it would be 2/3 cup before soaking and boiling.

1/2 - 1 cup diced pineapple (grilled would be great)

salt to taste

Directions:

Add the butter to a large pan, along with the onion. Saute over medium heat until becoming translucent (about 5 minutes), add the garlic and saute 1 more minute. Add the cumin, cayenne, quinoa, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the corn, black beans, and pineapple, and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Add salt if necessary. Serve immediately. 

Yum!